On July 4, 2025, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered a landmark ruling: the Nigerian Senate’s six-month suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was unlawful and undemocratic. The court ordered her immediate reinstatement, declaring that the Senate had no authority to silence her voice or disenfranchise the over 300,000 constituents of Kogi Central she represents.
The ruling lands amid a broader storm of allegations, constitutional debates, and tensions over judicial supremacy, gendered power, and democratic legitimacy. It has ignited fresh discussions about the balance of power in Nigeria’s democracy and the independence of its institutions.
Now, the Senate faces a critical choice: Will Senate President Godswill Akpabio respect the court’s mandate and reinstate Akpoti-Uduaghan, or will he defy the judiciary, deepening Nigeria’s ongoing constitutional crisis?
